News
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- Life
Rock-hard evidence
Newly discovered dinosaur tracks, the first ever reported from the Arabia Peninsula, indicate that a part of the now-arid region was teeming with dinosaurs about 150 million years ago.
By Sid Perkins - Climate
Ocean reflux
Upwelling off Californian coast offers taste of predicted ocean acidification.
By Susan Milius - Space
Martian sands
Sandy soil on the Red Planet hints at an ancient mix of volcanic activity and water, a potent breeding ground for life.
By Tia Ghose - Space
Gamma-ray bling!
A recent, unusually luminous gamma-ray burst is shedding new light on these stellar explosions and the visible light they produce.
By Ron Cowen - Health & Medicine
Vacillating stem cells
Unsuspected, ever-changing variation among stem cells in bone marrow helps determine the development path the cells will follow during differentiation.
- Humans
Butting out together
Cigarette smokers who know one another tend to kick the habit all at once, highlighting the importance of social forces in smoking-cessation treatment.
By Bruce Bower - Chemistry
Slippery when dry
Surfaces that mimic the back of an African beetle can collect water from fog.
- Health & Medicine
Trust again
The ability to trust others even after violations of trust is regulated by the hormone oxytocin.
- Earth
Asbestos-like nanotubes
Some carbon nanotubes show signs of asbestos-like toxicity.
By Janet Raloff - Space
Supernova Outbreak
Thanks to a lucky break and an overactive galaxy, astronomers report the earliest detection yet of a normal supernova—the explosive death of a massive star.
By Ron Cowen - Health & Medicine
Nonstick toxicity
By mimicking the action of estrogen, a widely used nonstick chemical promotes cancer development in animals.
By Janet Raloff